


Better Off Without You

by phoenixyfriend



Series: Blame Tumblr Prompts [17]
Category: Young Avengers
Genre: F/M, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 19:17:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4757858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixyfriend/pseuds/phoenixyfriend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noh's late-night musings aren't always the happiest.</p><p>Written for the tumblr prompt:<br/>NohKate “Ever wonder if the world would be better off without you… ?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better Off Without You

“Ever wonder if the world would be better off without you… ?”

Kate levered herself up onto her elbow and turned to look at Noh with an unreadable mien. “What was that?”

Noh pursed his lips, staring up at the ceiling instead of turning to look at Kate. “I just wonder sometimes. I’ve caused more problems on this planet than I’ve solved, and I can’t… well, it’s not unreasonable to think that Earth could have been a better place if I hadn’t landed here, or if I’d been killed early on, or if I had never existed at all.”

Kate stared at him for a few seconds, her expression still stuck in the “inscrutable” end of the spectrum. Finally, she sighed and moved closer to him, pressing against his side. “I can’t answer that. I think my life is better because of you. I know some people don’t have lives anymore because of you. And I know that at least a few of your crimes were the result of people hurting or manipulating you first. Whether the world would be better or not without you isn’t easy to answer. But you’re just one person. You aren’t changing things on a cosmic scale like Billy or his mom or Thanos. You’re… you’re a hero that’s made mistakes, and you’re working on it so tat the world  _is_  better with you here.”

“Kate… it’s not that simple.”

“Except it is.” Kate put a finger on his nose. “ _You_  are a good person. You  _try_  to do good deeds, even though you get it wrong sometimes. Even when you mess up, you try to fix it, and you’re protecting a planet that got your entire family killed. The multiverse is huge.  _Maybe_ there’s a world where the lack of your presence helped the world. We’ve seen mayfly dimensions where you not existing  _would have_  made the world a better place. But you know what? I don’t think this is that kind of universe.”

Noh stared at her, unable to make himself accept that. Something in Kate’s eyes softened, and she leaned forward to hug Noh, tucking his head under her chin and kissing his hair. “You’re a good guy, Noh. You’re helping people, and doing your best. I can’t say for sure what the world would be like if you weren’t here, but I know that  _my_  world would be worse. And I’m betting the same thing goes for a whole lot of other people.”

“…Thank you, Kate.”

He still wasn’t sure that she was right.

But she’d helped him feel better, at least.


End file.
